158 



tarsus moderate ; toes moderate, slender, basally much connected, hind toe 

 very large ; head subcrested. All the known species except one belong to 

 India and Burmah, chiefly the Himalayas and the hills of North-Eastern 

 Bengal. 



635. Minla igneotincta, ffodgs., Ind. Rev. 1838, p. 36 ; Jerd.> 

 It.Ind.ii.p. 254, No. 618; Hume, Sir. F. 1879, p. 104. Sharpe, Cat. 

 B. Mas. vii, p. 607. Proparus ignotinctus, Hodgs., J . A. S. B. x. p. 29. 

 Certhiparus (Minla) ignitincta, Hodgs. Icon. ined. in Br. Mus. Passeres, 

 pi. 86, fig. 2. The RED-TAILED HiLL-Trr. 



Above dark chocolate brown, with a fulvous shade on the rump ; wing 

 coverts black, the lesser series washed with the brown of the back, and the 

 median and greater series edged with white ; primary coverts black ; quills 

 black, margined and tipped with crimson ; the secondaries edged and tipped 

 with white ; upper tail coverts and tail black, the feathers of the latter edged 

 on the outer web with crimson and tipped with white, the inner webs white, 

 the centre ones conspicuously so ; head, hind neck, lores, feathers below the 

 eye and ear coverts black, the head bordered by a broad white super ciliuin 

 extending along the sides of the nape and hind neck ; eyelids, cheeks, under 

 wing and under tail coverts, as also the under surface of the body, white ; 

 the flanks and sides of the breast with an ashy tinge ,- centre of breast and 

 abdomen whitish ; under tail coverts yellow. Bill blackish ; legs horny 

 yellow ; iris brown. The female is white beneath or much paler in colour 

 throughout. 



Length. 4*5 to 5*25 inches; wing 2*4 to 2'6 ; tail rS to 1-9,- oilmen 

 07$. 



Hab. Eastern Himalayas, extending into the hills of North-Eastern Bengal.. 

 According to Jerdon it is tolerably common about Darjeeling, ranging froms 

 5,000 to 8,000 feet. Found in small parties of five or six, hunting about for 

 insects on the extreme end of the branches. It occurs also from Nepaul to- 

 Bhootan, and extends into the hill ranges of Assam and Sikkim. At Cherra 

 Poonjee Dr. Jerdon found it far from rare. According to Hodgson it breeds in 

 the central region of Nepaul and near Darjeeling during May and June. The 

 nest is cup-shaped and made of moss, moss roots and cow's hair, and also lined 

 with the two latter. It is usually placed in the fork of three or four slender 

 branches of some bushy tree. The species lays from two to four eggs, a 

 pale verditer blue ground, speckled and spotted with brownish red, 



636. Minla CastaneicepS, Hodgs., Ind. Rev. 1838, p. 33 ; Sharpe, 

 Cat. B. Br. Mus. vii. p. 608 ; Hume, Nests and Eggs, p. 393. Proparus 

 castaneiceps, Hodgs., J . A. S. B. x. p. 29(1841). Leiothrix castaniceps, 

 Gray, Gen. B. i. p. 269; Blyth, Cat. B. Mus. As. Soc. p. 100; Jerd., B. 

 Ind. ii. p. 255, No. 619 ; Hume, Sir. F. 1879, p. 104. The CHESTNUT- 

 HEADED HlLL-TlT. 



